Enterprise: Volunteer-run thrift store fills need for resale shop in Ascutney

ASCUTNEY — The more Nicole Gagnon collected items for area nonprofits serving those in need, the more she saw a bigger role for herself filling that need.

“I was collecting things for other nonprofits including the food shelf here in town, bringing hats and mittens. I noticed a lot of people were looking for that kind of stuff,” Gagnon said at her recently opened Thrive, a thrift store and community resource center.

With SEVCA (Southeastern Vermont Community Action) in Springfield, Vt., closing 18 months ago and Listen a 20-mile drive north, Gagnon said she realized there was a need to launch a local resource selling clothes and other items at deep discounts.

In the latter part of 2024, Gagnon put the word out on social media seeking donations — mostly clothing — and began weekly collection days every Saturday at the former Perkinsville School.

“I would sit there for eight hours, and people would keep bringing me stuff,” said Gagnon, who works for Upper Valley Turning Point in White River Junction, a nonprofit that offers recovery programs for those with substance use disorder and other addictions.

She put everything in a storage unit and, when that was filled, decided to take the next step and open a thrift store. She formed a board last October and registered as a nonprofit with the state of Vermont.

Gagnon, who is from Hartford and moved to Weathersfield during the COVID-19 pandemic, keyed in on a property located at the intersection of routes 131 and 5.

Unable to contact the owner, Gagnon turned to Weathersfield Town Manager Brandon Gulnick for assistance.

“As town manager, I have been looking at that space and thought something needs to happen over there,” Gulnick said during the interview with Gagnon.

When the owner told Gulnick he wanted to sell, not rent more space, Gulnick bought the property in late February.

Gagnon leases several hundred square feet in a separate building that sits among three others on the two-acre parcel.

“This place is in the heart of Ascutney,” Gagnon said about why she is pleased with her location and its easy access from Claremont and Springfield.

Board members put up their own money to buy clothing racks and other shelves to display donations for sale. On April 2, Thrive opened.

Gagnon, who was recently named Thrive’s executive director by the five-member board, said they do not have employees and instead rely on eight or 10 regular volunteers to sort, price, hang clothing on racks and organize other items, including shoes and books.

“Weathersfield has a great volunteer community, and I have a lot of very excited volunteers,” Gagnon said. “People want to help.”

Donations continue to pour in, and the small space appeared filled to capacity on a recent Saturday. A volunteer rolled several racks of clothing outside Thrive’s front door to entice more customers.

“We really specialize in clothing.” Gagnon said. “We want to be sure we have kids’ clothing and work clothes, because that is how we want to support people.”

Since opening, Gagnon said Thrive has seen a steady stream of shoppers and those who want to donate items. Most of those who have discovered Thrive come from the Claremont and Springfield areas, Gagnon said.

“I never thought it would take off like this, and we are outgrowing our space faster than we thought we would,” she said. “I think that speaks to the need.”

Affordability for those who may be living on the margins is a foundation of Thrive.

“We want to be affordable, and people are pleased that we are,” Gagnon said, holding an infant’s outfit with a 50-cent price tag. “It is not about making a profit. It is about making sure people have clothes on their back.”

Thrive relies on proceeds from its sales to cover its expenses.

The store also has a program that allows those in need, with a referral from another nonprofit, to use a voucher for their purchases. Gagnon said they have partnered with a few other area nonprofits, including Turning Points Network in Claremont, which helps survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and she wants to expand that program.

In addition to clothing, Thrive offers shoes, children’s books, games and puzzles, as well as some housewares and another area displaying crafts, which Gagnon said are popular with older customers. There also are camping supplies and blankets that people living outside can use or, if not, they can be sent to the humane society.

“Nothing here goes to waste,” Gagnon said. “Everything here has a home to go to.”

Thrive maintains a list of desired donations, with clean clothing as the top priority, followed by shoes, children’s books, linen and blankets.

In the coming months, Gagnon hopes to collect donations of unused personal care products and eventually begin putting together kits for people, especially the unhoused.

As a resource center, Thrive also aims to support people in other ways beyond providing low-cost goods.

“I can help them with assistance through other nonprofits,” she said

With demand on the rise, and more ideas in her head for how to help vulnerable communities, Gagnon looks ahead to doing more to fill the need that first inspired her.

“This is my passion project,” she said.

For more information and store hours visit thrivethrift.org.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.